


The Calamity of Owen Hunter

by starchaser22



Series: The Undercover College Student AU No One Asked For [5]
Category: DCU, Green Lantern (Comics)
Genre: College AU, M/M, Non-Explicit Sex, OC, Original Characters - Freeform, Star Sapphire Corps, White Lantern Kyle Rayner, cosmic mistakes, i give kyle the bf dc is too afraid to, i give them the reunion they always needed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-15 01:05:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16923693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starchaser22/pseuds/starchaser22
Summary: It's not like Kyle went into this with the intention of dating his totally normal civilian lab partner.





	1. The Cosmic Mistakes Bond Over Kyle's Thirst

It’s not like Kyle wanted to date a civilian while undercover.

Of all the heroes who were in this, he seemed the deepest in. Dick, Zatanna - they were all just going through the motions: attending school, doing the work, faking it, investigating on their free time. Kyle, on the other hand, was fairly engaged in his fake life. He was one of the few to have a civilian roommate - John, who he regularly hung out with - and now… Well, now, Kyle was going to go on a date.

He knew he should probably throw it, make it purposely awful or even just let the guy down easy. It would be better later on, when Kyle would have to up and leave suddenly, regain his duties in space as the White Lantern. The problem was that Kyle actually _liked_ this guy.

His name was Owen. He had hair just above his shoulders, black curls dangling around his face. He was pretty tall, around six feet, and he always wore this navy bomber jacket with various patches sewed into it.

They’d met in - surprise, surprise - Astronomy class. The two of them had been paired up as lab partners and Owen had taken Kyle’s negativity surrounding the situation and flipped it into his favorite part of the day. During work times, he’d tell some of the best jokes Kyle had ever heard, and in class, he’d pass notes with silly doodles and scribbles on them. If Kyle hadn’t been dreading the class anyways, he would have felt bad for the Professor; the two of them _never_ paid attention. For him, it didn’t matter. He already knew about the theories regarding the creation of the universe and was able to identify more nebulae then his teacher even knew existed. Was Owen the same? He wasn’t a Lantern, not as far as Kyle knew (and he was the White Lantern, he knew _everything_ regarding the Corps). He hoped Owen was doing okay in the class. He’d feel terribly guilty if his own flirting (because, admittedly, that’s what it was) was costing Owen his grades.

Kyle sighed. Right now, he was in his dorm. John was out, doing God knows what, while Conner swiveled around in his desk chair. The two of them had never really talked much before this, but Conner seemed pretty cool. He’d refused to ditch the leather jacket and sunglasses, regardless of secret identity concerns. When Wally had brought it up, Conner had starred him dead-on and said, “Shut the _fuck_ up, Wallace. You know I have Daddy issues.” Everyone was too concerned and confused to question it.

Conner did a few more turns in the chair. It was a bit dizzying to watch. He threw his head back and laughed.

Kyle’s lips downturned. “What’s so funny?”

It took a few more moments for him to stop and take a breath, “Come on, you mastered all emotions or whatever, and now you’re basically a God, but you’re having college boy trouble. It’s kinda funny.”

Kyle couldn’t help but smile. When he puts it like that, yeah, it’s a little humorous, but that doesn’t make the situation any less frustrating. “The fact that I am the White Lantern is what makes this so _agonizing!_ I’ll have to leave, either when the mission ends or when I’m called back to space, and what will I tell him then?”

“Just do the whole, ‘I have to go, my people need me,’ thing,” Conner smirked, finally stopping his relentless spinning to fold his arms and lean back in the chair. “Dark and mysterious, gets everyone swooning.”

“Okay, but I do not _want_ everyone swooning.” Why was he talking to Conner about this? Maybe an intense desire to bond, get to know the guy better? Everyone else on this mission knew each other incredibly well, but Kyle was only friendly with Donna, Wally, and Jason. He knew Roy, Dick, and Barbara, but minimally. Though, maybe that’s what he needed to do. Stop trying to use problems as a means of bonding and just ask his friends for advice (and _not_ the ones in space).

“Thanks for the…” Kyle began, already standing up from the bed. He was going to say “help,” but did Conner really help? Instead, he stopped, sighed, and just corrected, “Thank you.”

Conner seemed to know about his little, internal debate. He just smiled - that sly, all-knowing smile - and nodded. “Anytime.”

After shoo-ing Conner from his dorm and locking the door behind him, Kyle set out for the other’s rooms. Finding both empty, he set out for the one place he knew they’d be.

It took a few minutes to get there, unable to use flight as a mode of transportation (Barbara had made it _very_ clear that she wanted the use of powers to be minimized). Once arrived, Kyle marched into that pizza place and threw himself into the far booth.

“Hello, fellow mistakes,” He greeted, casually leaning back in the cushioned seat.

Donna rolled her eyes. Jason answered, “Don’t forget the ‘cosmic’ part. We’re _cosmic_ mistakes. Don’t underestimate our worth.”

“Oh, how could I forget,” Kyle teased, laughing.

Donna was having none of it. She interrupted by asking, “How’d you know we’d be here?”

“What? You mean to say I _didn’t_ check every building in town?” Kyle doesn’t know why he gets like this when around them, all sarcastic and taunting. It wasn’t out of character, but he didn’t usually act this way, either.

Jason kicked him under the table (oh, right. _That’s_ why he acts like this). “Answer the question, Rayner.”

“Okay, sure, fine! I heard Roy talking about your plans earlier.”

Jason cursed beneath his breath, “Dammit, Roy.”

“Why didn’t you want anyone to know where you were?” Kyle couldn’t help but ask. He hadn’t thought it to be a big deal, considering how easily he’d picked up on the information, but judging on Jason’s reaction, he may have been mislead.

“Jason wants to overthrow Barbara’s leadership,” Donna spoke up, glaring across the table at the man in question.

Kyle gasped. “What? Why?”

“Because we aren’t doing anything. Seriously, we should just go in there, interrogate a few known addicts, work our way through the chain the old fashioned way. Would’a been done by now.”

“That is…” A mess, a disaster, _God_ awful. Kyle should probably tell Barbara, but he knew that she’d find out fairly quickly anyhow. That is, if Jason didn’t drop the idea on his own. Besides, that isn’t why he’s here. “I’m not touching that. I actually came for some advice.”

“Really? And what do _we_ have to offer for _you_?”

All the teasing was done in good fun, but that didn’t stop Donna from kicking Jason’s leg. After receiving a pointed glare, she continued on, “What do you need help with?”

Oh, he was seriously regretting this now. Why was Kyle talking about this? Why was he asking for advice? He should have just kept quiet, let Owen down easy, pushed it all under the rug.

No, he came here to talk, he was going to do that. As he opened his mouth to begin explaining, an all-too-familiar voice cut him off.

“Kyle?”

He swore. Just his luck. Owen was here, and he recognized him, and now he was walking up to their table. Oh, _God,_ why?

He turned around, forced smile on his lips, and waved. “Hey, Owen.”

“It is you! Hello!” He smiled at him, bright and dazzling, and for a second, Kyle forgot all about the internal turmoil caused by this man. He was here, _smiling_ at him. His stomach did backflips and Kyle sat on the thought that _this,_ this may be the most beautiful thing in the world. Then Owen opened his mouth again, “Mind introducing me to your friends?”

Kyle’s world shattered, but luckily, no one seemed to notice. Jason grinned slyly, while Donna put on that signature Wonder-charm and extended a hand. “Donna, and this is Jason,” She gestured across the table. Jason nodded. “Nice to meet you.”

“Yeah, we’ve heard _so_ much about you,” Jason lied. Kyle hadn’t told them anything about Owen (yet), Jason just couldn’t resist teasing him. “Although, Kyle’s thoughts may have been a little… _biased_ ,” He narrowed his eyes across the table. He already knew? Of course he did! Damn Bats and their deductive reasoning or whatever. “Why don’t you sit down and tell us more about yourself?” He scooted over and patted the seat beside him.

Owen eyed Kyle curiously before taking his seat beside Jason. “So uh, how’d you meet? You guys, you three, I mean.”

Donna gave him a side-glare and a little, knowing grin. “I think we’re supposed to be the ones asking you that.”

“If you _must_ know,” Jason interrupted, louder than anyone else. Kyle just _knew_ that whatever would come from his mouth next would be absolutely, unbelievably cursed. He was right. “We all met several years ago when we discovered that none of us were supposed to exist. Then we collectively broke the fabric of reality.”

Kyle and Donna groaned. Owen laughed. Little did he know, Jason was telling the truth.

“Actually, this is a bit weird, but we only expected it to be the two of us, so we didn’t order enough pizza for _four,”_ Donna began, edging away from Jason’s topic (which he seemed annoyed about). “Maybe you two would like to go off on your own?”

“Oh, no, it’s fine,” Owen answered quickly. “I actually just ate. My roommate works here, I was just picking him up. Didn’t expect to run into anyone I knew.” With the last words, Owen looked over at Kyle, a small, shy smile playing upon his lips.

And just like that, he forgot about Donna and Jason, _again._ He returned the smile, leaned forward and perched his elbow on the table, chin resting on his hand. Maybe they should just stay here, the two of them. It’s not like Owen was in any real danger, right? He’d learned his lesson, he knew to keep the two lives separate. As long as it was just the two of them, it’d all be okay. It had to be.

Unexpectedly, it was Donna who interrupted his daydreaming. She nudged Kyle’s arm until it fell from beneath him, his head dropping and hitting the table in a daze. It was embarrassing, but Owen just laughed. “Forgive me… Owen, was it?” Owen nodded, so Donna continued, “We didn’t know that Kyle had a _boyfriend.”_

A pink tint crept up Owen’s neck (it was, frankly, _adorable,_ but he wouldn’t be saying that aloud) as he tucked one of those curly locks of hair behind his ear and looked into his lap. “You can’t really call us boyfriends when the date isn’t until tomorrow.”

Jason’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open. Donna covered her lips with the back of her hand so she could laugh. Kyle died a little.

After a few beats of silence, he spoke up and asked, “Are you sure you don’t wanna stick around a little longer? We could order another pizza or move to a different table if you want.”

Owen shrugged, looking directly at Kyle - eye contact, if you must (though it felt far more intimate and reserved than ordinary eye contact) - and said, “I have to go get my roommate. We can pick this up tomorrow?” Then, he reached across the table, laid one hand gently over the top of Kyle’s, and said, in a much more hushed tone, “I’ll see you then.”

With that, Owen got up and left, but the event was far from over. Kyle’s world was spinning, though he still dared a look back at his friends.

Jason’s eyebrows shot past his forehead and into the stratosphere while his jaw was basically on the floor. Donna had the largest shit-eating grin to ever eat shit. Ever.

Quickly, Kyle leaned in closer and whispered hurriedly, as to make sure Owen didn’t hear, “This was actually what I needed to talk to you about.”

“Seems like you have it all figured out to me,” Donna remarked, sipping her drink dramatically as to enunciate the sarcasting teasing.

“Oh, don’t give me that.” Kyle threw himself back against the booth.

Jason finally seemed to regain himself, shaking his head a few times before speaking up, “I don’t see what the problem is. Seems like you’re both happy enough. Even going on a _date._ ”

“That’s the problem!” Kyle exclaimed before hushing himself and ducking back near the table. He ran his fingers through his hair a few times, took a deep breath, then looked back across at Jason. “I can’t just go on a date with him _knowing_ that I’m lying about everything, not even touching on the fact that I’ll have to up and leave at any moment.”

“Okay, Okay, I got it. I know what you have to do,” Jason began, taking one large, long gulp of his drink before dramatically slamming it back on the table and pointing an accusatory finger at Kyle. “First, you gotta fake your own death, so that when he attends your funeral and hears about how much-”

“Don’t do that, Kyle,” Donna interrupted. “I mean, I really wanna know what the rest of that plan was, but don’t do it.”

“I won’t, but I, too, want to hear how Jason is going to pull this off.” Kyle leaned forward on his palm, elbow propped up on the table.

“Oh, you know it. Okay, so he goes to your funeral, hears about how everyone loved you, how great you are, blah blah blah, and then you sneak an ominous note under his door one night that contains a cryptic message detailing where and when to meet him. Show up with a life-threatening wound and tell him an overdramatic tail of your exploits, ending with you saving the world. Then he swoons and you fuck. The end.”

“You know what? I like that idea a lot more than I thought I would.” Donna said.

Kyle sighs. “Still not doing it.” He turned to face Donna next to him. “Sure you don’t have any ideas?”

She shrugged. “I thought you were supposed to be the creative one.”

Kyle groaned. Loudly. He was truly done for.


	2. Conner Has Too Many Condoms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyle and Owen have their first date. Conner shares some new information. John discovers Kyle's secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i haven't proofread this one, so sorry in advance for any mistakes and typos! hopefully i can come back and fix them soon

Dates have never been Kyle’s strong suit.

It was Friday night and he’d tried his best to appear formal and casual somehow simultaneously. They’d agreed not to do anything too fancy, even though Kyle would have loved to fly Owen over to an authentic French bakery in France, but, needless to say, there were _many_ reasons why he couldn’t do that.

Making sure his jacket was straight and even on his shoulders, Kyle turned around to his roommate, John, and threw his arms out. “Am I moderately presentable?”

“A little more than moderately, dude. I’d tap that.”

Kyle peered at him strangely. His roommate had a bit of a wildstreak, per say. He spent most waking hours out of the dorm, and Kyle severely doubted that he spent all that time studying. “Thanks, I guess.”

“No problem.”

Just as Kyle was starting to dread making awkward small-talk, or whatever was happening, a blissful knock came from the door. He scurried over to it as quickly as he could, ignoring the strange look from his roommate, and let the visitor in.

“Conner!” Well, that was surprising. Kyle had kind of expected it to be Zatanna, reading to give him a lecture on fraternizing with the civilians or something. Maybe Barbara. Possibly Donna, just to give him a high five and words of encouragement. He hadn’t of expected Conner, but then again, they had talked a little bit about it yesterday. “What’s up?”

Conner threw a hundred pack of condoms at him, then walked away.

“Great, thanks.” Knowing he probably wouldn’t need them, Kyle threw the box to the side, only for it to burst open and spill everywhere. Damn, he’d expected it to be unopened.

“You have strange friends,” John commented.

Kyle only hummed in response, leaning down to clean up the condoms, finding that there were maybe only a dozen or so left. In a hundred pack. What is Conner getting up to where he’s used eighty plus condoms?

“You should probably bring at least one. Just keep it in your wallet, bro,” John piped up from behind him, suddenly far too close for Kyle to have note noticed. He startled, jumped up with the mostly-empty box still in hand.

“Don’t sneak up on me like that!”

John shrugged. “Why not? You were pretty shocked. Not all of us are super secretive people with big, hidden secrets.”

Kyle’s mouth was suddenly very dry. This is just one wild event after another. “What do you mean?”

John shuffled back and forth. “I know what you’ve been hiding.”

“You _what?”_ Okay, calm down. Maybe he can play this off as someone else. Jesus, it was probably when he accidentally left his Lantern out of the pocket dimension earlier. He’d had to play it off as a really large nightlight; it had seemed like it’d worked, but maybe not.

“Don’t lie to me.” John’s face was stern serious, and then  he whipped out a notebook from behind his back.

Kyle could breathe again. Thank god, it was just his sketchbook.

“You never told me you could draw!” He exclaimed, excitedly holding up the book and flipping through it. “These are amazing! Why are you going into science? You should be doing this!”

“Oh, yeah, ha,” Kyle laughed nervously. “Yeah, maybe, and on that note, I should get going.”

“Right, yes, but we are talking about this when you get back!” John called after Kyle’s quickly retreating form. “We need to discuss all your wasted potential!”

\-------------------------

Soon enough, Kyle had escaped that Hell and found himself in a new one. First date Hell, to be exact.

He’d swung by Owen’s apartment, and together, they’d walked over to a casual Mexican restaurant in the town. It was a short walk, in which they’d made idle chit chat about everything and nothing: class, the place they were going to, the date-appropriate compliments that they bounced back and forth.

Finally, they’d arrived at their location. Kyle held open the door and followed Owen inside. The place was dimly lit with faded orange tablecloths at each booth. From first appearance, he wondered why Owen had suggested coming here, since it didn’t seem too casual, but everyone else was dressed even more informally than them. There were large groups of college students everywhere, dressed in their graphic tees and ripped jeans.

The two of them slid into a booth and began looking over the menu.

“Popular spot,” He commented. “I’ve never been here.”

Owen looked at him, jaw dropped in shock. “Really? I came here my first _week_ on campus. Only problem is that the menu is in Spanish.”

Oh, shoot, that was a close one. Kyle’s next topic was going to be the menu items and what to order. His ring automatically translated everything, so it wasn’t a problem. Luckily, Spanish was like, the _one_ language that he could play off being fluent in. “Yeah, my Dad’s from Mexico, though, so I’m proficient.” Not technically a lie.

“Oh, that’s cool! My parents are both from Malaysia, so I’ve picked up pieces of Malay and Mandarin, but mostly, I’m stuck with English,” Owen explained, gesturing along with his little story. “Though, I have to ask, where do you get your freckles from? They’re… really cute.”

For a brief moment, Kyle felt guilty for lying about his Dad. Truth was, he hadn’t met the guy until recently. Then Owen called him cute, and all other emotion melted into a pit of mush. He lightly touched his own cheek, conscious of them, and answered, “My Mom’s from Ireland.”

“Cool! Do you speak Irish, then?”

This was actually a question Kyle hated getting, but something about the curious and untainted glint in Owen’s eye dissolved all that annoyance into something kinder. He smiled and explained, “Most people in Ireland speak English as their first language. My Mom spoke it, but since it was her second language and she never had any intention of going back, I never got it.”

“Really? I guess I always just figured that everyone in Ireland spoke Irish.”

“Are you two ready to order?” Their conversation was interrupted by a waiter, notepad and pen in hand as he looked back and forth between them. “I can come back.”

“No, it’s okay,” Hastened Kyle, quick to choose and place his order. Owen did the same. They were soon sipping lemon water in a lingering silence.

“So, astronomy. That’s cool.”

Kyle almost laughed. Was this how first dates always were? Awkward conversation about the _single_ thing you _know_ you have in common? He hasn’t been on one in years. Space relationships were treated very differently. “I would hope so. We’re in the same class.”

Owen snorted. “Okay, then tell me, how did you first become interested in the topic?”

He shrugged. “Space is cool. What about you?”

Owen looked down at his glass. “Same.” He traced his finger along the rip of it and pushed the straw back and forth in the water. “Always wanted to be an astronaut.”

Kyle shot up straighter in his seat. “That’s great! Wanna walk on the Moon? Mars? The ISS?”

“Actually,” Owen smiled, a little too wide and bright, and Kyle was momentarily dazed, “I want to go to _all_ of them, and more. I want to go everywhere. A kind of lifelong dream of mine.” He reached across the table and nudged Kyle. “You ever wanted to go to space?”

His arm tingled where Owen touched it, and Kyle reached a hand over to rub the spot absently. Okay, he had to play this down, act like space was super unknown and awesome and like he _didn’t_ wake up halfway across the universe everyday for years on end. “Sure, who doesn’t wanna fly in a rocket? Not something I can see myself doing, though.” Good, great. Excellent avoidance. Guy would be proud of him.

“Come on! What were you gonna do with that degree after graduation, if not see the stars?”

Kyle leaned forward across the table, maintaining eye contact as he flirted, “I think everything I want to see is right in front of me.”

And that was _probably_ the line that got Owen’s pants off.

Actually, it could have been the dozen other flirty and sometimes suggestive lines he dropped throughout the date. At one point, Kyle’s just called him “the cutest thing in existence,” which prompted a playful argument over which one of them was cuter. It was so sweet, he thinks he may have gotten a few cavities from their kiss.

Because that’s where they were now. Kissing. It was slow, languid, and drawn out eternally. Originally, they were going to part once reaching campus, but Owen had kind of nailed him to the side of some poor building. After the brick had ground against Kyle’s back for too long, he suggested the move somewhere more private.

Not wanting to face John (or the chance that they may run into one of Kyle’s other friends along the way), they decided to go to Owen’s apartment, which was on the other side of the street and much less populated.

Hand in hand, the two of them stumbled up the stairs after each other. Owen hastily turned the keys and they flew into the studio apartment.

It was a nice place. Kitchen on one wall, murphy bed on the other, a few chairs stacked in the corner, and the bathroom to the right. It was cozy. Soon, though, Owen had ripped his own shirt off and was reaching for Kyle’s, and the aesthetic appeal of his tiny living space was forgotten.

Their bodies slid together, soon on the bed and shedding the rest of their clothing. They each kicked their pants and underwear to the floor, helping each other stumble to the bed, unable to keep their hands from each other. It was exhilarating; Kyle hasn’t done this in _years_ (being a Lantern was pretty time consuming, alright?)

Soon, Kyle was laying on the bed, his back down, as Owen kissed up and down his neck and torso. He made sure to bite and suck at the nerves and more sensitive areas. It seemed like Owen knew exactly where Kyle enjoyed being touched most, even with this being their first time together.

Suddenly, Owen pulled away, took both erections in his hand, and was just beginning to move when Kyle stopped him, “Wait! I actually have, uh, condoms and stuff.” He thought back to Conner and his large box he’d thrown earlier. He should probably thank him later, and probably John, too, for convincing him to slide one into his pocket. “Just let me get one and, uh, gonna take a minute in the bathroom, alright?”

Owen nodded, leaning back on his heels, and reassured, “Take all the time you need.”

In a haste, he sprung up from the bed, grabbed his discarded pants, and walked off to the side, closing the door to the bathroom behind him. He dug around in all his pockets until he was able to retrieve one condom wrapper between his fingers.

Then it hit him. Was he really doing this? Was he really going to have sex with this completely innocent bystander? Owen may be part of this whole drug thing they’re investigating, for all he knows. Actually, no, he didn’t seem shady enough to be a drug dealer, and he seemed pretty cognitive and composed, so he probably wasn’t using either. Then again, how many times has Kyle encountered drug addicts and dealers? Not many.

Aw, whatever. They had a good time together; it’s been awhile since he’s even done anything like this. It’s not like having sex was a long term commitment or meant that Owen was stuck in this life of heroics and danger. Kyle’s been careful and has avoided the use of his powers almost completely.

Perhaps it was the lust and erection talking, but Kyle suddenly didn’t care about all his earlier turmoils. He was smarter now, better, and nothing would happen. People had sex all the time in college, right? Aren’t one night stands part of like, college culture, or something? Not that he wants this to be a one night stand. He quite likes Owen. A lot. And he wants to see him again.

 _God, Kyle, stop thinking about this so much,_ He thought, looking down at the package in his hands. Screw it.  

Kyle ripped open the condom wrapper and threw it aside, but when he actually began stretching it, a note fell out. Curious about what could have possibly gotten in a condom wrapper, he picked it up. It read, in Conner’s messy scribble, “Owen = Star Sapphire.”

Kyle’s jaw dropped.

What the fuck, Conner?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO my original plan was to post a chapter every five days, but then i realized id be out of town at the five day mark, so i said, hey, fuck, and decided that id just update now
> 
> also, have yall noticed that ive been writing a lot lately? its strange. perhaps its just because tomorrow is my last day of class and im motivated, but just putting that motivation towards the wrong thing. shrug. whatever.


	3. A Brutally Honest Truth Spell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyle confronts Owen about the Condom Incident.

Kyle stared down at the slip of paper. What was he supposed to do now? He couldn’t just go out there and be like, “Hey, Owen, I know it’s getting pretty hot ‘n heavy, but my friend gave me a condom with a hidden note that said you’re a morally dubious love Lantern from space, so what’s up with that, huh?” 

Well, he could, but risk versus reward, right? Plus, if Kyle went out there, guns blazing, and Conner was wrong, then he would be compromising his own secret identity. 

There had to be a way around this.

Unable to think of any better plan, Kyle threw open the bathroom door, knees wobbling and hands shaking, and walked over to the bed. Owen was laying on his side, legs crossed and head propped up by his elbow. His brows furrowed and he sat up a little. “Whatcha got there?”

Kyle flipped the slip around and held it inches from Owen’s face. “Friend wrote me this. Any idea what it means?”

Owen sighed, sat up completely, and scooted to lean back against the wall. He would have seemed completely calm and composed, had it not been that they were both completely naked with throbbing erections. Owen shrugged, “Seems obvious. You’re the White Lantern, I’m a Star Sapphire. How’d your friend get that to you, anyways?”

“Hid it in the condom- it’s a  _ long story, _ okay?” Kyle pinched the bridge of his nose and threw the paper on the side table. “If you’re so… so  _ chill _ about it, why didn’t you just tell me?”

“Thought you knew. Doesn’t that fancy ring of yours tell you when someone’s a Lantern or not?”

“It can, but it has to manually scan someone.” He cannot believe this. Kyle thinks that he’s finally going to have a good time, had met someone funny and cute and  _ normal, _ and they’d turned out to be a Star Sapphire. Not even like, a Blue Lantern, or a Green. A Star Sapphire. Though there was one question that was bothering him more than the others, “Why are you even here? Aren’t you Sapphires supposed to be out in Space, restoring love to the Universe or whatever?”

“I was actually assigned to keep an eye on you. Signed up for the same classes and whatnot. Sitting next to you, though? That was just by chance, and the Zamarons  _ definitely _ never mentioned how attractive you were. Like, I know Carol basically betrayed them to go join your little team, and everyone’s pissed about that, but,  _ damn,  _ I don’t blame her.”

Kyle’s skin heated beneath the sudden intense gaze. He tried to stay focused on the conversation at hand. “So the Sapphires have been following me for the past two years? Great.”

“Actually, just since you came back to Earth. Fatality trusts John, so when you were directly under his leadership, she didn’t see the need to.”

Kyle sighed and ran his fingers back through his hair. It was messy and distangled; he wondered if it had been like that all night before remembering that this “date” was probably fake and that Owen had been manipulating him from the start. Probably. The dilated pupils and lusty gaze still hadn’t faded. 

“Okay, so, summary: your morals are dubious, but we are both naked and still attracted to each other. Wanna put this all aside for now and just have sex?” Kyle asked, hopeful lilt to his voice.

“Hell yeah.”

————————————

“So… that’s basically all that happened. Wha’d’ya think?” Kyle asked, hands spread wide as he sat before the most trusted of advisors: Barbara, Zatanna, and Conner (Conner didn’t make it onto the list of trusted advisors, Kyle just wanted to confront him about the Condom Incident).

“I think y’all need to  _ bone, _ ” Conner spoke up, helpful as always. 

“Did you not hear my last sentence? We did _ ‘bone’ _ !”

“Seems like you solved all your problems then.”

“We didn’t- then why would- ugh!” Kyle threw his head in his hands, exasperated. There was so much more to talk about here than his sex life. Like, “Why did you hide the note in the condom? And how did you even find out?”

“Saw him talking to a pink, glowing ring. Was pretty easy to figure out after that.”

“But why put the note  _ in _ the condom?”

He shrugged. “Didn’t want you to turn the date into some investigation. You’ve been stressed about the civilians and your roommate since we got here, thought it’d be good for your to relax.”

Kyle stopped, starred Kon up and down, and sighed. That was actually… really nice. “And here I thought you were just throwing condoms at me.”

Zatanna, who had previously been sitting quietly on the bed beside Conner, cleared her throat, “You threw condoms at him? Can someone explain this? What’s going on?”

“No,” Kon answered simply.

Barbara, who had previously been scrolling through her laptop, took that moment to enter the conversation. “We should set up surveillance, see if him being here has anything to do with the whole drug operation thing.” She spent a few more seconds typing, pulling up new tabs, closing some, a few keyboard shortcuts. It was all just fancy tech things Kyle didn’t understand. 

“He said he was just here to monitor me.” Kyle leaned forward in his chair, trying to get a better look at Barbara’s screen. “Like, the Star Sapphires have been mad at me for the past few years because Carol betrayed them to join my little team, blah blah blah, not important, we all make mistakes.”

“Sounds like it wasn’t your mistake,” Zatanna said.

He shrugged. “I encouraged it, I guess. Oh, by the way Barbara, Jason is planning on overthrowing your leadership or something.”

She didn’t even flinch. “I know.”

Unnerved, Kyle leaned back in his chair and eyed her warily. He responded slowly, “O- _ kay _ .” When no one said anything, he continued, “Planning on doing anything about it?”

She shook her head. 

Zatanna cleared her throat and answered, “It’s Jason. He’s all talk.”

“Really? Didn’t he have a duffel bag of severed heads once?” Conner asked.

“Yeah, but Jason has changed a  _ lot _ since returning from the dead. As someone who has also sort of died-”

“Not the same,” Barbara interrupted.

“-I can say that dying is very intense. Sure, it may not have been the same as, you know, physically being dead for six months and waking up buried alive. No, all  _ I _ did was fight the physical embodiment of everything negative within myself, travel to the afterlife without actually dying, then revive an entire deceased planet which preceded to attempt to murder me right after. No big deal.”

“We’ve all died, Kyle,” Conner sighed. “You’re not special.”

Barbara raised her hand, “Actually, I haven’t died, just paralyzed.”

Zatanna leaned forward, rested her elbows on her knees and propped her chin on her palms. She tapped the side of her face a few times and absently wondered, “Have I died? Things get so weird when you cross to Hell so often.”

“So, all our lives are fucked,” Conner concluded. “Fantastic.”

“Can we talk about Owen now?” Zatanna asked. “I wanna know what his deal is.”

Kyle rolled his eyes. “I’ve told you everything I know. I don’t know how to get more information about it other than just talking to him, and even then, I wouldn’t know if he’s telling the truth.”

“Actually…” Zatanna straightened up and scratched her neck. “I can make sure he tells the truth.”

“Man, magic is really fucking magical,” Kon mumbled sarcastically.

Zatanna glared at him. “It’s a really simple spell, I just don’t like using it.”

“Why not?” Barbara asked.

Zatanna hunched over. “Well, there is one minor drawback to it. Whoever is on the spell overshares white a bit.”

“Great! Let’s find out everything about Kyle’s sex skills and habits!” Conner exclaimed, newfound invigoration for the daunting task. He looked far too excited, like a child who’d been given a pound of candy, and Kyle couldn’t help but be a little scared.

\-------------------------

Kyle, Zatanna, and Owen met at a bench near the Quad. Conner was nearby, but Barbara had been very clear that she didn’t want him interfering. No, only Zatanna would be hearing about Kyle’s sex life today.

Owen was a few minutes late and came jogging up the path, out of breath. He leaned over, hands on his knees. “Sorry I’m late,” He panted.

“It’s okay,” Kyle smiled softly. Even like this, Owen was cute. There were a few strands of his unkempt hair hanging in front of his eyes and his cheeks were red from exertion. Kyle found himself leaning forward and asking, “Can I kiss you?”

“Only if I can kiss you back,” Owen teased. They landed a light peck on the lips. It was sweet, yet far too fast. Kyle made a mental note to continue that later.

“Sorry to break up the date, but do you think we can get to the interrogation now?” Zatanna pushed into the conversation, speaking loudly as to keep their attention. Both her hands were tucked in coat pockets, but that didn’t deter her front as stone cold and menacing. He didn’t get it, Zatanna was one of the friendliest people he knew! He supposes that the hard exterior was a stage used to gain control when meeting new people. 

“Oh, right, Kyle said something about forcing me to tell the truth?”

“Exactly.” Zatanna took a step closer. “Side effects include accidentally sharing your deepest secrets and most vulnerable aspects of yourself-”

“Wait, what?”

“- _ Seil on llet llahs uoy _ !”

The three at them stared at each other in tense silence for a few moments. Then the rambling began. “Did it work? Do you think it worked? I hope it worked so that Kyle will trust me more, so that we can spend more time together. He is really great. Fantastic. Spectacular. I like him a lot. Oh, wait, I think it’s working. How do I make it stop? I don’t want to accidentally say something I’m not supposed to. I know some very secretive things, you know, like how-”

“Stop!” Zatanna yelled. Owen obeyed. She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed, “I can reverse it myself, or it will naturally wear off in about in hour.”

“Cool! An hour isn’t that long, but I do hope you undo it before then. It would really suck if I told someone my real name is actually Andrew. I didn’t have to change my name, but Owen was the name of my favorite Dungeons and Dragons character in high school. I’m actually twenty two, but have a young face, so high school was a few years ago. My entire family is from Los Angeles, so I’m not worried about anyone blowing my cover, or bringing up my regrettable past. I was a competitive chess player, Kyle, and I wasn’t even good. I lost my first year in the championships with a Fool’s Mate. Two moves, Kyle. I lost in  _ two moves.” _

“Well, this is more than I ever hoped to know,” Kyle said, tucking his hands into his jean pockets. “Owen, or, Andrew, I guess; which do you prefer? No, don’t answer yet. Did you tell me the truth earlier? About being here to keep an eye on me?”

“I like Andrew and Owen both, but if you call me Andrew here, it would be weird, since everyone thinks my name is Owen. Plus Owen is less common and sounds more edgy and daring, which is awesome. As for the Star Sapphires, I told you no lies. Fatality didn’t tell me why I was here, other than to keep an eye on you, but I ran into Carol a while back and she filled me in. I thought you were just special because of the White Lantern stuff, so when I met you, I thought you’d be a huge pushover and I’d be friendly just to stay nearby. Then you were actually really cute and, fuck, why is she recording?”

“Need to take notes for later,” Zatanna answered. “Memory isn’t very reliable. Please continue.”

“Yes, of course. My own memory has failed me many times. One time, I got coffee for my brother, who doesn’t do well with caffeine, but I love it, so I got a triple espresso while he ordered decaf. I forgot which was which, but they both had carmel, so I figured it would be okay. It was not okay. He peed on the Statue of Liberty and was arrested for public indecency. I had to go down to the Police Station and sign him out, but there was also this awesome pigeon-”

“Owen, please!” Kyle snapped. He was beginning to  _ really _ regret this spell. He looked over at Zatanna, who was holding her phone up, recording it all. Her body shook with restrained giggles. 

“Sorry! Even when not on this spell, I have a problem with rambling. I also have a problem with swearing too much, I’ve been trying to cut back on that. Do you think I’ve been doing well?”

Kyle shook his head. “I think you’re doing a  _ great _ job. Now, we have to ask your about the drug ring that’s centered on campus. Did you know about it? Know anything about it?”

“Oh! A drug ring! So that’s why you are all here. Was wondering why a group of vigilantes suddenly decided to go back to college. No, I didn’t know anything about it, but there are a ton of parties on my block, so I’ve seen a lot go down. Now that I think about it, I think the guy who lives across from me sells some kind of drugs, but I’ve steered clear from that. Wait! Shit, are you guys gonna do like a huge superhero fight and all? I’ve always wanted to be a part of one! A team, like the Justice League or Teen Titans or something. Star Sapphires aren’t too big on teamwork, more in the whole ‘restoring love to the universe’s heart’ and stuff, while is fantastic and all, but I’ve always wanted to give the Joker a good sacking, you know?”

“Oh, trust me, the Joker is fucking  _ terrifying _ ,” Zatanna said. “Pray you never meet him. I feel so bad for B, I swear.”

“B? Oh, B for Batman! You know, I used to think he was fake. Like, an urban legend and stuff. Had this whole theory that the GCPD hired an actor that would occasionally dress up in a furry suit for photos and stuff.”

Unable to hold it back any longer, Zatanna doubled over wheezing. “Just gimme a minute.”

Kyle groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. It had been about a half hour of just this unfiltered rambling, and they didn’t know nearly enough. He really hoped they wouldn’t have to do this again. It was exhausting. “Furry suit, fascinating. Listen, it’s not news that Batman is a furry. I know you knew who  _ I _ was from Fatality, but how did you know who everyone else was?”

“Well, I don’t know who  _ everyone _ is. I know that you’re the White Lantern, and I know that your redheaded friend is the Flash, though mostly because a saw a streak of lightning flying through the campus in the middle of last night, and when he stopped, he didn’t have on the mask-”

Kyle swore, “Dammit, Wally.”

“-but most are guesses. I thought she,” He pointed at Zatanna, “was one of the Batgirls, but the magic has convinced me otherwise. Isn’t Conner an alien? I saw him get hit by a bus, not even flinch, stare at the dent he left, then continue walking. It was actually kind of funny. I haven’t figured out the two from the restaurant a few days ago, nor your roommate, though John seems a little oblivious to it all. Is he just a normal dude? Oh, that’s funny. Wait, is Donna - that’s her name, right? Is she a Green Lantern?”

Okay, so at least not  _ all  _ of their secret identities were compromised. He’d have to lecture Kon later about how most people react to getting hit by a bus. “Not a Green Lantern. Only Lanterns here are you and me.”

“That’s what I thought! So, who is she, then? Is  _ she _ a Batgirl? I wonder if-”

“No, no. Stop,” Kyle held his hands out in front of him as a plea to slow down. He had to reign this back in get back on topic. “No Batgirls, just… think you can show us to your drug dealing neighbor? That is kind of why we are here, after all.”

“Of course, but mostly because I’m totally infatuated with you, in both a sexual and admirational way. You’re basically a legend, even if your legacy is upsetting the infamous Fatality.”

It was as if Kyle was suddenly hit with a crashing wave. He turned away from Owen to face Zatanna and wondered aloud, “What if John is here to watch me, like Owen is?” Oh, no, that can’t be right. John is definitely not involved in any of this, and he bought the lie about his Lantern being an elaborate night light far too easily. 

Going for a change in subject, Kyle shook his head and instead gestured to Owen to ask, “Do you think we got down all he knows?”

Zatanna rolled her eyes. “Why? Want your wicked way with him?”

“Actually, yes, that is exactly what I wanted to do.”

She deflated. “Fine, as long as you check in on the potential drug dealer while over there.”

Kyle grinned and turned back to Owen. “Ready for the next twenty minutes of brutally honest sex?”

Owen nodded excitedly. “I don’t think I’ve ever been more ready for anything in my life.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I am definitely NOT happy with how this ended, but keep in mind that this is a series. While this little segment is wrapped up, the ending was left ambiguous intentionally because it will be picked up in the next part.
> 
> Also, side note: I recently read that Booster Gold comic where he traveled to an alternate timeline where Trigon ruled Earth (I think?) and in it, Kyle and Zatanna were two of the only people left, and they were also married. It was a tad bizarre.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! this is multichapter because its easier than having a series within a series, so there Will Be More. feel free to check out the rest of my undercover college au!


End file.
